just started solids... too much?

[linussally]

This is our second week of having solids, so 2 meals a day - breakfast and lunch.  I give LO 1 tbsp for each feed.  He can finish it all, but his milk intake has been much lower these days.  His milk intake after having a solid feed 4 hrs before would be almost only half or less of what his usual formula intake would be.  Sometimes he wakes up at 5'ish am hungry and cries...  oh gosh...  it's like we're going backwards.

I'm not sure when I should up his solids if he's not interested in his formula.  I'm wondering if I should be lowering his solids for now until he ups his formula intake again? 

I'll be introducing his first veggie, peas, tomorrow at lunch.  Should I just give it to him as is, pureed, or mix it with some rice cereal?

[~ Vik ~]

Milk really should be the primary source of nutrition, so you want to make sure that any solid food that you offer at this age doesn't impact their milk intake.  Solids right now are really just for fun and exploration, learning about new tastes and textures, where milk is what gives them everything that they need.  I wouldn't up his solids if he's not interested in formula at this age - it would be more prudent to decrease it to ensure that his formula intake remains constant.

Having said that, it doesn't sound like you're offering an excessive amount of solids.  I wonder if there could be another reason for the decrease in milk intake?  Could he be teething?  Often teething pain can cause them to really lose interest in the bottle.  Have you tried pain meds or teething gel before bottle feeds?

I always offered my ds his purees "straight up" without anything mixed in, but I kno wthat some people do mix cereals in.  Has your ds had rice cereal before?  I ask because that is one way to up his milk intake - any formula added to solids counts towards his total milk intake, so you could make his rice cereal with formula and that would get a couple extra oz into him.

HTH

[linussally]

Thanks for replying...

He may also be tired, or not feeling well...  He had some mucousy poop today.  The last time he had it, the doctor said he might have contracted some virus.  Not sure if he's teething, as he doesn't seem too uncomfortable. 

I'll try to give him only 1/2 tbsp of rice cereal tomorrow morning and 1/2 tbsp of peas at lunch.  I'll try it for several days and see if it's his tiredness/ not feeling well that's making him eat less. 

These days, I'm actually putting in his remaining formula from his feed into the cereal, even though it says to just add water.  Don't want it to go to waste and I want him to have just a little bit more of the formula.  But since he's only having a tbsp of cereal at each feed, he's not really having that much more formula.  Just better than not having that little bit more at all.  =)

[First Time Mom]

How old is your lo? I know with my ds he really cut back on his bfing in the afternoon when I first introduced a 2nd meal, even though it was the smallest amount. I had to quickly stop the 2nd solids meal to get him to increase his bfing back to normal. I waited a while and introduced it again and then he was fine.

[linussally]

LO is 28 wks, 6.5 months.  This is our second week of doing solids, and I've been giving him 1 tbsp of cereal/ meal.  I cut back on the cereal yesterday, but he's still only taking 2-3oz of formula at each feed.  I just wonder if he's teething, but he doesn't seem to be particularly cranky.  I can't really tell if there're any signs of teething, since he always has his hand in his mouth, teething or not.  He's been having mustardy/ seedy poop at every change of diaper, so I'm not sure if that's teething/ solids related.

[First Time Mom]

The change in his dirty diapers can be from solids, dirty diapers are so different once solids are introduced! Though I do remember with my dd that the only way I knew when she was teething was that her cheeks would go all flushed and she'd get almost a diaper rash (she never cranked out, even when she got her molars).

I tbsp of cereal is not very much so I would think it would not impact his milk intake. It does sound like it could be teething related. I would continue to offer the solids, monitor his formula intake, and maybe even count his wet diapers to make sure he's hydrated. See if there's a change within a day or two.